One of the most important events of the last decade of the century was the establishment of the scholarship fund on August 26th, 1993. The fund still operates and it supports those students who actively participate in Hungarian community life and excel at school. The program was started by Sándor Krémer, Pál Bicók and Frigyes Körmöczy and was established with the financial support of Pál Saláta. During the past 24 years the fund has supported the education of more than 50 university and college students with more than 115,000 USD.

Essay Topic of the 2018 Scholarship Program

Topic to be determined by November, 2017. Please check back for updates.

2018 Scholarship Rules and Regulations

Only applications received by e-mail to MagyarKlubOsztondij@yahoogroups.com by midnight, December 31, 2017 containing all of the documents below will be considered. Applications that do not meet the criteria will not be considered. Results will be presented at the annual Gala Ball on January 27, 2018. The decision of the committee is final and cannot be appealed. Please direct any questions to the e-mail address above.

The following items should be submitted for consideration (double-spaced, font-size: 12):

Hungarian Club Membership: The applicant should be a paid member of the Hungarian Club in the application year and the following year.

Proof of enrollment for the Spring 2018 semester, indicating at least one course, and that the course is part of a specific degree program. This enables part-time students to apply.

Transcript, showing a minimum GPA of 2.5, including the Fall 2017 semester. The transcript should show enrollment in at least one course for Fall 2017.

Volunteering in the Hungarian community. This can be in the form of:

a. Minimum 4-hour commitment at the Hungarian Club 2017 Events. Volunteer positions are open for the Annual Summer Picnic and the St. Nicholas Lunch. Please contact Andrea Stétz, Vice President, at least two weeks prior to the event at andreastetz@hotmail.com OR fill out the Become a Volunteer Form. This volunteer work will add 10 points during the scholarship evaluation process.

b. Volunteering work in other Hungarian organizations.

A brief summary of the applicant’s plans, goals, academic and extracurricular activities emphasizing work in the Hungarian community, hobbies, plans, etc. For applicants residing in a location without a Hungarian community, other means of personal Hungarian advancement will be considered, such as reading Hungarian books, speaking Hungarian, etc. Include a brief summary of books read.

Resume, with name, address, e-mail, description of volunteering work, and other work experience.

Minimum two page essay, in English or Hungarian.

Become a Volunteer at our next Hungarian Club Event.

2018 Scholarship Application Evaluation

Applications of part time students will also be evaluated per the below criteria, however the scholarships awarded to part time students will be half of those awarded to full time students. Please send your application with all the required documents not later than midnight, December 31, 2017 to MagyarKlubOsztondij@yahoogroups.com.

Application Evaluation

Max. 100 points

10 points and 5 points can only be obtained through volunteer work (see 4.a.) and sending essay in Hungarian language, respectively.

The Chicago Fire Soccer Club with the help of the Hungarian Club of Chicago has organized a Hungarian Heritage Day for their game against Atlanta United SC on June 10, Saturday.

Nikolic Nemanja or Niko, the newest member of Chicago Fire SC was born in Zenta, Serbia to a Hungarian mother and a Serbian father. He later played for the clubs of Barcs, Kaposvár, Székesfehérvar for Videoton FC and even for Legia Warsaw in Poland. It was December, 2016 when Chicago Fire brought him onboard signing a contract for 3 years. Nikolic won championships for both Hungary and Poland and was ranked top scorer for the 2015-2016 season playing for Legia Warsaw.

The Hungarian Club of Chicago mobilized every asset it had and invited the Hungarian population living in the Chicagoland area and the neighboring states. The club itself was established in 1922 and it is regarded as one of the largest Hungarian communities not only in Chicago but in all of the United States. Its main goal is to reach out to those individuals whose roots go back to Hungary, preserve the language, the traditions and spark the thought of a national identity.

András Demeter, the president of the Hungarian Club has told me that the idea of the Hungarian Heritage Day can be traced back to January, 2017. The drive behind it was to unite the Hungarian community as a whole behind our “own” Hungarian player, Nemanja Nikolic. “Something moved, shifted within the Hungarian Community, both young and old looked forward to the match, excited to support Nikolic” said András Demeter.

A few hours before the game the Hungarian club alongside with their friends who drove from Indiana, held a tailgating event in the parking lot of the stadium. This quintessential example of American tradition most definitely helped form a unique bond between everybody and they marched off to the stadium united as one.

There were more than 250 Hungarian supporters at the game, with our own sections reserved and we have flooded them with Red, White and Green, the colors of the Hungarian flag. We were there to support Chicago Fire, but we gave extra attention to our Niko.

The kick-off or celebratory penalty kick was performed by no other but Zita Bencsik dr, the Consul General of Chicago herself. The Consul General told us that it is without question that national identity, pride and love of the sport goes hand in hand, and are indivisible and are essential in forming a community. Nothing proves this more than how the Hungarians managed to come together for such an event to support a Hungarian player. This might not be a big deal to some but for us, coming from such a small country it was a phenomenal experience.

The scorching heat did not stop us from sitting through the game, chanting and singing the enitre time. Chicago Fire missed a few opportunities to score but overall performed much better than Atlanta United which resulted in a 2-0 victory for Chicago. The cherry on top for all of us was that the second goal was scored by Nikolic which was a penalty shot in the 70th minute of the game. He scored without effort, just like a professional would and caused a deafening uproar from the Hungarian section.

After the match, the Hungarian supporters had the opportunity to meet with Nikolic who was handing out autographs, shaking hands and taking pictures as a celebrity. We asked if how he was faring with the new team and how he is adjusting to the new country and culture. He told us that the first 2 months were the hardest because his family, his wife Nóri, and his 2 children were not able to accompany him initially. Niko mentioned that the team welcomed him with open arms and he is now used to the style of play. The team is on a roll, they have not been beaten for the past 7 games!

At the end of our interview we asked Nikolic if he had ever thought that Chicagoland was home to almost 30,000 Hungarians. He was genuinely surprised. We could tell that he was really moved by how many people showed up just to support him.

The Hungarian (Magyar) Club of Chicago and the Hungarian Communion of Friends (MBK) presented on June 3rd the Let’s Bake Something! workshop as part of the Hungarian Traditions Series.

Inci Gödölley, who is an expert in preparing the traditional Hungarian biscuit, taught us the secret of how to make the biscuit dough so that it’s crispy on the outside and soft and flaky on the inside. The curiosity and appetite for learning brought together approx. 30 people.

The event was hosted by Ági Babochay Tóth and her family. The kind donations will support the St. Antal Preschool and Kindergarten in Hungary.

The HATOG (Hungarian Americans Together) Conference was held for the tenth time in May 2017 at Marymount University, VA. During this conference, participants attended a charity ball, as well as multiple presentations and group discussions about grant writing, non-profit management, and ways to get more people interested and involved in Hungarian organizations.

HATOG X Participants

From the many presentations I will only mention a few details, which I thought were the most informative and helpful for the Hungarian Club of Chicago. (Detailed program can be read here.)

First of all, participants saw a presentation about a great program called: Reconnect Hungary Birthright Program. This program “provides the gift of a peer-group heritage and cultural immersion trip to Hungary for Hungarian-American/Canadian young adults between the ages of 18 and 28 who want to strengthen their personal Hungarian identity through connection to the country, culture and heritage. Every summer, groups of individually selected young Hungarian-Americans/Canadians begin a two-week journey of rediscovery together. They learn about their Hungarian roots—culture, traditions and history—in a totally new way.” This program should be something the Club advertises because it provides the experience of a lifetime to participants, and they can feel much closer to their Hungarian heritage, even if they don’t speak perfect Hungarian or know much about the culture prior to the Reconnect Hungary Birthright Program.

Another highlight of the conference was Andrea Lauer Rice’s presentation about the Memory Project. I am sure many of you are familiar with this endeavor, but I thought I should mention it because I had the opportunity to listen to the co-founder about this project. It is a Hungarian American History Archive co-founded by Andrea Lauer Rice and Réka Pigniczky. The goals of this project are to help document and record the personal stories of Hungarians who emigrated to the United States after the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 and as displaced persons after World War II.

Moreover, Anna Smith Lacey, Executive Director of the Hungary Initiatives Foundation explained important details organizations have to follow when they are writing a grant proposal. From her presentation the most important points were: 1) deadlines have to be respected, 2) the Foundation likes to support projects that effect the Hungarian community as well as other minority groups, 3) collaboration with other sponsors is very appealing, 4) the Foundation would like to see that the organization has at least 50% of the financial requirements to support the specific event/program prior to applying for a grant, and 5) involving more Hungarian organizations is a big plus when the Hungary Initiatives Foundation decides about grants.

On Sunday, Elizabeth Dyar Stiff, Co-Founder of Native Collaboration, held a social media outreach and strategy workshop for participants. She explained how important it is to represent the organization in different social media platforms. Ms. Stiff explained different approaches to reach different group of people. Her main advice to the participants was the following: know the mission of the organization, do a SWAT analysis and based on the information choose the best social media platform to advertise the organization and it’s events.

Lastly, Anna Voloshin, Senior Director of Development at The McCain Institute for International Leadership, held a professional development session on fundraising and grant writing. She highlighted the many untraditional ways fundraising can be possible and she emphasized the importance of communication between donors and the organizations, not just when support is needed but on a regular basis. This ensures that the donors will fill satisfied with their investment and will continue to invest into the organization’s future. She also mentioned another aspect which is important during the grant writing process: sustainability. If donors see that the event has a long lasting effect on a community, they are more willing to invest.

I would like to thank the Hungarian Club of Chicago for enabling me to attend the HATOG X Conference, as well as the American Hungarian Heritage House (AHHH), the Hungarian American Coalition (Coalition), and The Hungary Initiatives Foundation for organizing the conference. It was a great experience, I have learned a lot and I met over 60 representatives from other Hungarian organizations in different states. I hope I can use the knowledge I attained through this experience to further develop the Hungarian Club of Chicago.

Reporting: Fanni Lakatos,
Board Member of the Hungarian Club of Chicago

Thank you for participating at our Annual Meeting and Luncheon this Sunday, April 30.
Beside welcoming our newly/re-elected Officers and Board of Directors, the Hungarian Club of Chicago has also launched its “KRONIKA”, a historical chronicle that commemorates the Club’s 95 years of presence.

The Chronicle of the Hungarian Club of Chicago (1922-2016) can be purchased now on-line or in person by contacting any board member.

We look forward meeting you at our 2017 Events.
Please contact us with any question at info@hungarianclubofchicago.com

One of the most important events of the last decade of the century was the establishment of the scholarship fund on August 26th, 1993. The fund still operates and it supports those students who actively participate in Hungarian community life and excel at school. The program was started by Sándor Krémer, Pál Bicók and Frigyes Körmöczy and was established with the financial support of Pál Saláta. During the past 23 years the fund has supported the education of more than 50 university and college students with more than 110,000 USD.

Essay Topic of the 2017 Scholarship Program

The preceding events, political background and potential consequences of the 2016 quota referendum in Hungary.

2017 Scholarship Rules and Regulations

Only applications received by e-mail to MagyarKlubOsztondij@yahoogroups.com by midnight, December 31, 2016 containing all of the documents below will be considered. Applications that do not meet the criteria will not be considered. Results will be presented at the annual Gala Ball on January 28, 2017. The decision of the committee is final and cannot be appealed. Please direct any questions to the e-mail address above.

The following items should be submitted for consideration (double-spaced, font-size: 12):

Hungarian Club Membership: The applicant should be a paid member of the Hungarian Club in the application year and the following year.

Proof of enrollment for the Spring 2017 semester, indicating at least one course, and that the course is part of a specific degree program. This enables part-time students to apply.

Transcript, showing a minimum GPA of 2.5, including the Fall 2016 semester. The transcript should show enrollment in at least one course for Fall 2016.

Volunteering in the Hungarian community. This can be in the form of:

a. Minimum 4-hour commitment at the Hungarian Club 2016 Events. Volunteer positions are open for the Annual Summer Picnic and the St. Nicholas Lunch. Please contact Kinga Sándor – Kovács, Vice President, at least two weeks prior to the event at ksandor87@gmail.com. This volunteer work will add 10 points during the scholarship evaluation process.

b. Volunteering work in other Hungarian organizations.

A brief summary of the applicant’s plans, goals, academic and extracurricular activities emphasizing work in the Hungarian community, hobbies, plans, etc. For applicants residing in a location without a Hungarian community, other means of personal Hungarian advancement will be considered, such as reading Hungarian books, speaking Hungarian, etc. Include a brief summary of books read.

Resume, with name, address, e-mail, description of volunteering work, and other work experience.

Minimum two page essay, in English or Hungarian.

Become a Volunteer at our next Hungarian Club Event.

2017 Scholarship Application Evaluation

Applications of part time students will also be evaluated per the below criteria, however the scholarships awarded to part time students will be half of those awarded to full time students. Please send your application with all the required documents not later than midnight, December 31, 2016 to MagyarKlubOsztondij@yahoogroups.com.

Application Evaluation

Max. 100 points

10 points and 5 points can only be obtained through volunteer work (see 4.a.) and sending essay in Hungarian language, respectively.